<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Crusaders of the Lost Groove by ladyworld_astronomer</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27584725">Crusaders of the Lost Groove</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyworld_astronomer/pseuds/ladyworld_astronomer'>ladyworld_astronomer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>TWRP | Tupper Ware Remix Party (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(mainly because I don't know how to write battles), Alcohol, Allusions to Borg-like hivemind/assimilation tactics/cessation of free will, Creating my own lore and canon, Evacuation Orders preceding implied apocalyptic events, Fighting, I'm tagging everything I can think of just to be on the safe side, Minor Drug Use (Funk), Nondescript Violence, Raiders of the Lost Ark AU, Science Fiction that flirts with Science Fantasy, Smoking, Strong Language, Temporary Major Character Death(s), cause goddamn it if tee double yew are pea won't do it... I WILL, kind of, which will be placed in chapter notes when they occur</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:35:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,335</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27584725</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyworld_astronomer/pseuds/ladyworld_astronomer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The universe holds its breath as Boredom’s Haters conquer planet after planet, solar system after solar system, galaxy after galaxy. Billions of souls lost to a fate worse than death, countless dreams devoured by the apathetic void that Boredom leaves in its wake. It grows stronger by the day, inching ever closer to achieving its plans for Universal Unification. </p><p>A restless academic, a worried public servant, a disenchanted smuggler, and a vengeful assassin unite and create something even stronger.</p><p>And spectacularly fuck up those plans in the process.</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Written for TWRP Big Bang 2020. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CH3gSPOnxjP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">Art by Atomic Pitou</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2x2ogXyWCkr1c2LxmNxdTt?si=ATmcaCsiRwKyyORbE86SRw">Mix by Envirobaby</a>.</i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Commander Meouch &amp; Havve Hogan, Doctor Sung &amp; Lord Phobos (TWRP), Eventual Rock n Roll Best Friends, Sung and Phobos can be platonic or romantic, depending on how you want to interpret it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>TWRP Big Bang 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prelude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Special thanks to Tally, Seb, and Arin for organizing the Big Bang. You rock! Thank you and congrats to my fellow writers, artists, and mixers--especially AtomicPitou for their stunning art and Envirobaby for their kick-ass mix! </p><p>There are no content warnings for this chapter :) Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“...all stories, all legends, start somewhere. Perhaps the most interesting ‘universal story constant’ is The Device. While every culture has a different interpretation of what The Device is and what it does, across solar systems and galaxies, legends of The Device have thrived for millennia. Is it so strange to think that The Device might actually have existed at one point? Or that it might still? Scholars have pondered its existence endlessly, and yet we are no closer to reaching answers. The Device remains lost to time, and we may never truly know if it exists…”</em>
</p><p>~ an excerpt from <em>Mysteries of the Universe: The Marriage of Fact and Fantasy,</em> by Dr. Saliyedus Litruro (Ze/Zir), Professor at the University of Perwana-Leo</p>
<hr/><p>Doctor Sung stared at the clock on the wall, humming a tune to the beat of the seconds passing by. He was told his prospective client would be with him shortly—that was nearly fifteen minutes ago. He tried not to fidget, but the heaviness in the air made it difficult to sit still. He wrung his hands on his lap, stretched them out, flexed and relaxed them, played an accompaniment to the song in his head. </p><p>Whoever his client was obviously was a fan of music as well. Almost an entire wall was occupied by floor to ceiling bookshelves housing thousands of CDs. Various pieces of music-themed art decorated the space, from statuettes on the desk to paintings on the walls to childrens’ drawings taped to the cabinets. And of course, the row of six electric guitars standing proudly behind the desk, glinting in the light of the twin suns that shone through the window. Sung could feel the residual energy of the music that played here, calming melodies that had engraved themselves into the very fibers of the walls and furniture in the room.</p><p>A knock on the door just about scared Sung out of his skin. “Doctor Sung?” the person said. Just from those two words, Sung liked the texture of his voice.</p><p>“Hi,” he said, like an idiot. “That’s me, yes. And you are?”</p><p>“I’m Phobos. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Sung. I’m sorry for the delay.” Phobos held out his hand, and Sung braced himself for contact.</p><p>
  <em>(cautious hope, sleepless nights, he’s burnt out,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>he’s falling, crashing, burning,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>burning,</em>
</p><p>
  <em><strong>burning—</strong>)</em>
</p><p>Phobos let go, and Sung was left reeling. Gods, this guy was barely holding it together. What in the spaces between the stars compelled him to call on Sung? “You as well,” he said, hoping Phobos didn’t hear the tension in his voice. “Just Sung is fine, by the way.” </p><p>“Alright. Make yourself comfortable, please. Do you need anything? Food, water?”</p><p>Sung shook his head. Phobos dropped a bag by his desk and sat on the couch opposite of Sung. He ran a hand through his unkempt blonde hair with a sigh, and went digging through a bag. “How are you liking Avotira?”</p><p>“Oh, it’s lovely! I just got here yesterday, so I haven’t had much time to explore. This is my first time here, though I’ve wanted to visit for quite a while. I almost went to the School of Music here, but ended up taking a research position on Jalya-Han S.”</p><p>“I’ll admit, I didn’t read your entire profile, but from what I recall skimming, I didn’t see any formal music education.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m self-taught. What about you?”</p><p>Phobos laughed. “My mother says I learned to read music before I could spell my own name, that I’ve been playing guitar since before I could speak. And now I’m the Minister for Arts Education. A-<em>ha</em>, there you are!” he said, triumphantly holding up an envelope that said <strong>CLASSIFIED</strong> in big letters. “As much as I’d love to continue talking about music with you, that’s not why you’re here. How much have you been told?”</p><p>“Well, when your representative reached out to me, they were specifically asking about my background in archaeology, anthropology, ancient technology, mythology… a couple others, I think. They asked about my education, field experience, past endeavours, especially my success with quote unquote ‘treasure hunting.’”</p><p>“You’re many things, Doctor Sung, and an accomplished treasure hunter is technically one of them. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, I’m asking you to find something. Before we continue, I need to double check—you did sign an NDA, the terms of which were explained to you, upon your arrival today, correct? Do you have any additional questions before we continue?</p><p>“Yes, I did sign it, and everything’s clear.”</p><p>“Awesome.” Phobos took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “What do you know about The Device?”</p><p>Sung’s heart stuttered, making the light of his core flicker for a moment. “What do <em>you</em> know about The Device?” he countered.</p><p>“Not enough. Its existence has been contested since the beginning of time, but for the most part, everyone agrees that if it exists, it gives you unimaginable power. It can bend reality, grant wishes. If such a device exists.”</p><p>“And you believe it does?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“And you want me to find it.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Avotira is on the brink of destruction. We have significant reason to believe that the forces of Boredom are planning to attack us, probably with Funk, with the intent of eliminating most, if not all, of our arts and history. There are whispers that they want to make an example of us.”</p><p>“...Shit.”</p><p>“Yeah. We’re weeks, if not days, away from beginning evacuations. We’ve limited information to the public, to avoid panic and to avoid letting Boredom know how much we know. I don’t have the highest government position ever, but we were all instructed to exhaust every avenue we could think of to try and save Avotira.”</p><p>Sung bit his cheek. Phobos must be truly desperate if he was legitimately seeking out The Device. If it did exist, there was a reason why it was hidden long ago and never found again. Sung wasn’t the first person to search for The Device… but maybe he would be the last.</p><p>Phobos slid the envelope across the table. “Everything we know about The Device and Boredom’s plans are in there, as well as an official job offer, which outlines what we’re asking of you, and what we’re willing to pay. Should you accept, we’ll pay forty percent upfront, so if we all die before you find the damn thing, you’re not screwed out of your paycheck.”</p><p>Sung cleared his throat. “That’s… thoughtful of you.”</p><p>Phobos cracked a grin. “I tried to get you fifty percent, they countered thirty three, I settled for forty. Some of the old farts think I’m crazy for reaching out to you.”</p><p>“And what do you think?”</p><p>“Their opinion will matter more to me if we’re alive to argue about it.”</p><p>“Fair enough.” Sung broke the seal on the envelope and skimmed the documents. He choked on his own breath when he saw the commission fee. Stars above, he didn’t even know what he would do with that much money, even forty percent. His hands were trembling, which made it difficult to read the fine print. Eventually, he said, “I’d like some time to think on this, if you don’t mind. As a general rule, I typically don’t accept job offers on the spot.”</p><p>“We can give you two days to accept or decline. After that, we move down the list.”</p><p>“Understood. Regardless, thank you for the opportunity.”</p><p>“Of course. Thank you for answering our call. Do you have any other questions for me?”</p><p>Sung had a million questions, but to be fair, he <em>always</em> had a million questions. After he took a moment to sort his thoughts, he said, “If you have time, I’d love to keep talking about music with you.”</p><p>Phobos smiled, and the feathery antennae on the top of his head twitched. “I <em>always</em> have time to talk about music.” He stood and offered his hand to Sung, who mindlessly took it.</p><p>
  <em>(he can see himself through Phobos’s eyes,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>and see Phobos’s reflection in the visor of his helmet,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>back and forth endlessly,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>like two mirrors opposite each other,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>it’s nauseating—)</em>
</p><p>Sung snapped back into his own mind with a small jump. Phobos gave him a look. “You shocked me,” Sung said, lying through his teeth. But stars, he wished he hadn’t done that. He didn’t even realize that he had forgotten to put his glove back on. When Phobos had his back turned, he fixed that, hoping that if Phobos noticed, he wouldn’t be offended.</p><p>They spent nearly two hours talking about music before Phobos was called away to a meeting. Phobos walked him as far as he could go while still being behind the security checkpoint. “Thanks again, Sung, for coming all this way and even considering what we talked about today. I really appreciate it. If you have any questions, my contact information is in the envelope. That’s the direct access contact, so I’ll be able to get back to you ASAP.”</p><p>“Awesome. Thank you, Phobos.”</p><p>“Of course. Anything else?”</p><p>“Know any good places for lunch?”</p><p>Phobos grinned and pulled out a communicator, typing quickly. Sung’s wrist buzzed, indicating that Phobos had sent him something. “There’s a good little food stand just down the street, they have the best sandwiches in the city. And then, how about you meet me at <em>this</em> restaurant,” he said, and Sung’s wrist buzzed again,  “tonight at six for dinner?”</p><p>“Sounds good to me. See you then, good luck in your meeting.”</p><p>“If all goes well, you won’t be dining with my corpse tonight.” He laughed and rolled his eyes, giving a small wave before turning and disappearing back into the maze of hallways. Sung took a moment to process everything. Then he left the capital building, making a mental list of everything he needed to research and consider before making a decision. But first, lunch.</p>
<hr/><p>Havve Hogan shivered as he stepped into the dilapidated bar, taking a moment to flip off the unforgiving winter outdoors. He hated winter. Everything slowed down, at the mercy of heavy, cold, wet snow and bitter winds that cut through people. His organic parts always got numb, and it was at times like this he almost wished he was just a robot.</p><p>Almost.</p><p>He kicked the snow off of his boots, and scanned the room for the person he was supposed to meet. He scowled behind the mask that concealed his face. He fucking hated restaurants like this. The music coming from crackly speakers, the din of voices and laughter, and the clattering of silverware overloaded his aural implants, sending phantom signals of pain through his head. The dingy lighting and smoke-induced haze didn’t do any favor for his ocular implants, either. If he wasn’t absolutely banking on this job, he would have walked out.</p><p>But he needed this job. His limited funds were running short, and he was running out of time. He trudged to a secluded booth in the back left corner of the restaurant. Target acquired. “Commander Meouch?”</p><p>The lion-man held up a finger, drained the rest of his beer in one go, and said, “Depends who’s asking.”</p><p>“Havve Hogan is asking.”</p><p>“Oh! H’suh, dude?” he said. His demeanor shifted so quickly that it gave Havve whiplash. “Nice to meet ya, have a seat. Y’want something to eat? They have the best godsdamn poutine here, it’s to die for.”</p><p>“I, uh—N-No thank you,” he stuttered. “I’m good.”</p><p>“Alright, then. Well, you were the only person who answered my godsdamn ad, so the bar is pretty fucking low, but gimme yer pitch anyways.” He rummaged through his pockets and lit a cigarette, taking a slow drag.</p><p>“Really? I was the only one who responded?” He couldn’t help but smile to himself behind his mask. Of course he was the only one who responded. Everyone else who even considered found themselves… convinced otherwise. Not that Havve knew anything about that. Definitely not.</p><p>“Yeah! Pissed me off, but anyways. Enough about that. Tell me about yerself.”</p><p>“Alright,” he said, rubbing his hands together. They were tingling as heat returned to the digits. “I’m a cyborg. I’ve got ocular and aural implants, enhanced processing capabilities, I’m highly efficient with power usage and don’t have typical organic requirements like food or water. I’m… I don’t know what my organics are, actually. I woke up in a hospital on Ranu two years ago, thoroughly fucked up, and with almost no memories. I recovered, worked there for two years to pay my debts, and left. I’ve wandered for a few months, saw your ad, now I’m here. I can hold my own in a fight, I’ve had experience with ship models similar to yours, I did maintenance and basic engineering on Ranu.”</p><p>Meouch considered him for a few moments. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but the way his blue eyes seemed to stare right through Havve made him queasy.</p><p>“So what’s with the mask?”</p><p>He stifled a laugh. Fair enough, he supposed. It was rather startling to most people: jagged teeth, glowing red eyes, immobile and intimidating. It gave off a universal leave-me-the-fuck-alone vibe, which was exactly what Havve wanted most of the time. “Protection. Keeps my implants and shit intact, makes sure I won’t short circuit in the rain or snow, or even if it just gets too fucking humid.”</p><p>“Dude, fuck humidity. Do you see this shit?” Meouch asked, gesturing to his mane. “Do you have any idea how much of a fucking nightmare this is in, like, 100% humidity?”</p><p>“I’m going to guess it’s pretty fucking awful.”</p><p>“Yeah. Well, here’s the deal, Havve: this job is <em>not</em> going to be easy. I’m not sure how long it will take, or if we’ll even be successful. You seem promising, but I gotta make sure you’re not gonna flake on me. I don’t want you abandoning ship the second shit hits the fan. I gotta know I can trust you.”</p><p>Havve tilted his head. “I’ve no reason to lie to you. And I have nothing to lose. If shit hits the fan, I’ll go down with the ship while you escape. All I ask is if I die, and any of my parts are salvageable, donate ‘em. Someone else out there can use them, live a good life. Better than having them rust while the rest of me decays.”</p><p>“...Are you okay, dude? Like… d’you need a hug, or something? Or a drink? Seems like you’ve been through some shit.”</p><p>Oh, if only he knew.</p><p>“Yeah. I’ve been through some shit. I take it one day at a time with dry humour.” He shrugged. “But if it’s off-putting, I can tone it down.”</p><p>“No, no, no, I’ve got dark humour, too. I just usually don’t come out guns blazing with it.”</p><p>“If the people around me can’t handle my humour, everyone will be miserable. I’d rather scare them off early.”</p><p>“Fair enough. Alright, you’re hired. We can negotiate your cut later. When can you be ready to take off?”</p><p>“At your convenience.”</p><p>“Awesome. Let’s sleep in, I’ll meet you at the eastern shipyard entrance at noon. Sounds good?”</p><p>“Sounds good.”</p><p>“Any other questions?”</p><p>Havve shook his head. “No. I don’t have much, but I should probably get my shit together.”</p><p>Meouch nodded. “Yeah, man, totally. Have a good night, Hogan, I’ll see ya tomorrow.”</p><p>“See you tomorrow.” Meouch gave him a halfhearted salute, and Havve braced himself to go back outdoors. He kept his head down against the wind, his shoulders hiked up to his ears. By the time he got to his ‘home,’ if one could even call it that, his teeth were chattering and he had trouble feeling his feet.</p><p>He fumbled with the lock on the door, his hands numb from the cold. Inside wasn’t much warmer, but at least there was no wind. He booted up his computer before peeling off his winter clothes. The machinery always warmed him up, and the soft electronic hum made him feel less alone. He held a blanket around his shoulders as he set to work, reviewing all of the data on his machine and backing it up in three locations.</p><p>He could not fail.</p><p>He <em>would</em> not fail.</p><p>Havve typed without thinking, relying on muscle memory more than conscious thought, as he navigated the portals and hyperlinks to the backdoor in Boredom’s servers. He was abundantly cautious, taking every possible measure to make sure they could not trace him: pseudonyms on pseudonyms, key words and passphrases, signal scramblers and incognito bugs. There were no new outgoing messages, but there was a new incoming message, from only a few minutes prior.</p><p>Orion District Intergalactic Operations - </p><p>Leaving tomorrow no later than 1400 local time. Following lead provided, will give updates as they occur.</p><p>- Commander Meouch</p><p>He’d check again in the morning, but knew that all Meouch would probably get in reply would be a simple 10-4. He carefully backed out of Boredom’s servers, covering his tracks and erasing any evidence that he was ever there. After all this time and trouble, he wouldn’t let himself be caught because of a simple, stupid mistake.</p><p>Havve stared at the reflection of his optics on the computer screen. His heart was pounding. He could do this. He was doing this. </p><p>For the millionth time, he searched his corrupted memory banks for anything that could tell him who he was. If he was patient, sometimes he got a glimpse at a life that was stolen from him gods know how many years ago. The melody to a song, a voice saying something briefly, the flavor of his favorite meal: shattered fragments of a stolen life. He tried to pick the pieces up and put them back together, even though they always cut his fingers and crumbled to dust under his touch. He did it over and over, hoping for but never expecting different results, then wondering why he got frustrated.</p><p>Before he was even fully aware of what he was doing, he grabbed an old notebook and a dull pencil from his bedside table, opened to the first page with any available space, and began writing.</p><p>
  <em>My name is Havve Hogan. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I escaped Boredom.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I make my own choices.</em>
</p><p>He wrote down everything he knew was undeniable fact—which wasn’t much, but it was all he had. He looked forward to the day he got to write,</p><p>
  <em>I got my <span class="u">revenge</span>.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>‘Good luck in your meeting,’ Sung had said.</p><p>‘If all goes well, you won’t be dining with my corpse tonight,’ Phobos had said. </p><p>Phobos couldn’t remember the last time he cried so hard. It was almost embarrassing. At least he made it back to his office after the meeting before he completely broke down, but he was sure everyone saw the tears welling in his eyes. Everything hurt: his throat, his chest, his eyes,  his <em>heart.</em> His entire world was flipped upside down, turned inside out, and thrown at Phobos for him to deal with. </p><p>He wasn’t sure if he could.</p><p>When he ran out of tears, he messaged Sung:</p><p>
  <em>I got some awful news. You might not want to have dinner with me tonight after all. If you want details, we’ll have to meet in person.</em>
</p><p>Sung didn’t reply. He was probably exploring the city, marveling at the architecture, the history, the modern marvels and arts that Tavi Schonoa had to offer. They were a pioneer city of the arts, a place of creativity and learning unlike anywhere else in the Universe, a shining example of utopia. Phobos let his mind wander through the streets of his home as he started packing, deciding what was important enough to bring with him, and what was to be preserved digitally. He went through an entire box of tissues in an hour.</p><p>He was sitting amongst piles of CDs and books, tissues strewn about, when a knock at the door startled him. “Lord Phobos? A Doctor Sung is here to see you,” a voice said. “He has no appointment and hasn’t been allowed past security.”</p><p>“Let him in,” Phobos said, hating how his voice trembled.</p><p>“Yes, sir.” Phobos sighed, and started picking up the mess in his office. The stacks of CDs to be left behind were lovingly returned to their homes, while the ones he decided to keep were carefully deposited in his bag. His garbage can was overflowing with tissues. He crossed some  things off his checklist, and added more items to the bottom. Just looking at the list made him verklempt again. He was going to cry his bodyweight in tears at this rate.</p><p>There was a tentative knock at the door. “Phobos? It’s Sung.”</p><p>His voice cut out on him before he could finish his words. He coughed, and tried again: “Come in.”</p><p>Sung let himself in, and slowly closed the door behind him. Again, Phobos wondered what he looked like. A visor connected to a conical helmet obscured most of his face. That strange light in his chest flickered as he presumably looked at the seemingly ransacked office.</p><p>“Phobos? What… happened?”</p><p>He gestured halfheartedly to the chair on the other side of his desk. He put his head in his hands, let out a sigh, and ripped off the bandage. “We’re evacuating. We’re too late.”</p><p>Sung swore in a language Phobos didn’t speak. “I’m so sorry, Phobos. That’s… fuck. That really sucks.”</p><p>“Yeah. I’m so sorry for wasting your time. I don’t know if I can guarantee you forty percent anymore, but I have some money in my savings that I can—”</p><p>“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down,” Sung said. “I’m not worried about that right now, and you shouldn’t be, either. You haven’t wasted my time.”</p><p>“You could have been on a thousand other planets, doing a thousand other jobs, and—”</p><p>“But I’m <em>not.</em> I’m here to help Avotira. I’m here to help you. So tell me what you need.”</p><p>Phobos sniffled, and took a few moments to collect himself. “Do you do hugs? I need a fucking hug, man.”</p><p>“Come here,” Sung said, standing and opening his arms. Phobos let out a shaky sob as Sung’s arms encircled him. He was surprisingly strong. They stayed like that for a while, even though Phobos was standing at an awkward angle. He didn’t quite realize their height difference until he asked for a hug.</p><p>He eventually stood up, a little embarrassed, but definitely feeling better. “Sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t be. I don’t know how much you can tell me, but I can listen.” Sung took a shaky breath and wiped under his visor. “Sorry, just…”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“This normally isn’t something I tell people, especially not on the day we meet, but, uh, since it feels relevant: I’m psychometric. I get information via touch. Information, feelings, sometimes memories… yeah.” His voice trembled while he spoke, and Phobos could see tears on his cheeks.</p><p>“Holy shit.” No wonder the poor guy started crying. “Is that why you wear those gloves?”</p><p>“Yeah. It can… It can be a lot, sometimes.”</p><p>“I’m sorry. If I would’ve known, I wouldn’t have asked for a hug.”</p><p>“You needed it.” He shrugged. “A-Anyway, like I was saying. I don’t know what you can and can’t tell me, but if you need someone to listen, I’m here.”</p><p>Phobos sighed. “They’ve determined it’s too risky to keep us all here. They’ll start sending out evacuation orders tomorrow. They’re trying not to incite panic, they’re gonna try to keep it on the down low so Boredom doesn’t try to attack us early, but it’s gonna be a fucking disaster either way. They want me to leave <em>soon,</em> there’s some off-planet castle or something they want my family and me to go to—”</p><p>“Castle? Are you royalty?”</p><p>“And, like, I get that my aunt wants her family to be safe, but it kinda seems like a dick move at the moment, y’know? When millions of people are being misplaced, it just doesn’t feel right for me to fuck off to this nice-ass planet because I’m the queen’s nephew.” He groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “Gods, this is such a fucking nightmare. And I’m sorry you got dragged into it.”</p><p>“Hey,” Sung said. “I can’t promise everything will be okay, because I don’t know that. But this doesn’t mean the end of Avotira.”</p><p>“Are you sure? Cause this feels pretty apocalyptic.”</p><p>“I know. But when we find The Device, this will just be a bump in the road. There’s still hope, Phobos.”</p><p>It took him a moment to fully understand what Sung said. “Th—The Device?”</p><p>“Yeah. We’re gonna find it.”</p><p>“<em>We</em>?”</p><p>Sung held his hands in front of him, palms facing up. He brought one up and said, “Evacuate to a fancy castle and wait?” He switched them, bringing the other up, and said, “Or go on a quest to find The Device and save your home?”</p><p>“Fuck,” Phobos said. “I thought you normally worked alone.”</p><p>Sung shrugged and offered a sly grin. “I like having a sidekick around every once in a while.”</p><p>That actually got a small laugh out of Phobos. “Okay, sure. Let’s find The Device. Fuck.”</p><p>Sung nodded. “Yeah. Fuck. How long do you have to leave?”</p><p>“Two days at the latest. I don’t have that much stuff, I won’t need that long, but saying goodbye to <em>literally everything I’ve ever known…”</em></p><p>“Yeah. Well, I’ll need some time to research, anyway. Do you have a library or database or something like that I can access?”</p><p>“Yeah... It’s the end of the world, I can take you down to the archives and catacombs, probably.”</p><p>“Well, unless the skeleton of one of your ancestors knows where The Device is, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”</p><p>“If they did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”</p><p>“True.” </p><p>Phobos sighed. “Gods… this just feels so unreal.”</p><p>“I bet.”</p><p>He stared at the ground, fidgeting a bit. “Thank you, Sung. I really appreciate it.”</p><p>“Yeah. I’ve always wanted to help people. I wish it was under better circumstances, but I’m glad I at least get to try and help. And… I’ve always wanted to find The Device, ever since I was little.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s been a passion project off and on for quite some time now. It feels better to have a real reason to look for it, though.”</p><p>“A real reason, huh? ‘In the name of science’ didn’t cut it for you?”</p><p>“Not quite. I had no reason to find it other than I was curious, and it hadn’t been found. I never had any plans for what to do with it. And if it is as powerful as the stories say… that’s not a power I want. That’s too much responsibility for a schmuck like me.”</p><p>“You’re hardly a schmuck, but I get what you’re saying.”</p><p>Sung laughed. “I have a feeling you’ll be singing a different tune soon enough.” </p><p>Sung was surprisingly good at cheering Phobos up as he continued going through his office, deciding what to keep and what to leave behind. Soon the tears on his cheeks and shortness of breath were from laughter, not sadness. Sung eventually left, intending on spending as much time as he could the next day in the Avotiran Archives, searching for anything that could possibly lead them to The Device.</p><p>Phobos left the capital building late that night, and walked home slowly, forcing himself to think about every step he took, to look at every shop and street sign. He could easily navigate this city with his eyes closed. Now more than ever, he kept his eyes wide open, taking it all in as if he was seeing it for the first time.</p><p>It made the sunrise the next morning even more beautiful, somehow.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dun du-dun duuun, dun-dun-duuun, dun-du-dunDUUUUN, dun du-dun, Dun, DUN!</p><p>That's clearly the Indiana Jones theme, right? You heard it in your head, right? ...Right?</p><p>ANYWAY! This is my contribution to the TWRP 2020 Big Bang! I'm super excited about this project, and I hope this piqued your interest! Comments make my day, if you feel so inclined :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Solar Winds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There is a brief nightmare sequence about halfway through the chapter, beginning with “His lungs were burning”. After the following horizontal line, there are no more content warnings :) Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>PROTOCOL FOR CODE D1-A12</p><p>In the event that <strong>The Device</strong> is found, immediately secure the area, as outlined in Section C, Chapter 7. Use of lethal force is permitted. <strong>The Device</strong> must be protected at all costs. When <strong>The Device</strong> is secure, contact your <em>Section Commanding Officer</em> immediately. Send a Level 5 alert with the <strong>CODE D1-A12</strong> and your coordinates, and await further instructions. Follow the general guidelines for patrolling and keeping the area secure as outlined in the aforementioned Section C, Chapter 7. </p><p><strong>DO NOT </strong>touch <strong>The Device.</strong></p><p><strong>DO NOT </strong>allow anyone within a thirty foot radius of <strong>The Device.</strong></p><p><strong>DO NOT </strong>hesitate to incapacitate a fellow soldier if you suspect treason or inclination to treason.</p><p><strong>The Device</strong> is absolutely critical to our plans for <span class="u">Universal Unification.</span> If you find <strong>The Device,</strong> do not let anything happen to it. You should not hesitate to sacrifice your life to protect <strong>The Device.</strong> </p><p>For additional reading, see Section K, Chapter 3.</p><p>~ a passage from the Training Manual and Protocol Guide for Lower Level Boredom Sentries, Ranks 1-7</p>
<hr/><p>Commander Meouch was already running low on patience, and he hadn’t even gone through intergalactic customs yet. He knew had a <em>long</em> day ahead of him, and he was already looking forward to going to bed. He didn’t like his new buyer. The people over at Newton were so much nicer, less hard-ass sticklers for every little thing. The Orion folks were brusque, almost impatient and irritated with him.</p><p>Havve told him he “didn’t have much.” What Havve <em>should</em> have said was “my one and only possession is one of the first computers ever, it takes up a shitton of room and it will take at least three trips to schlep all of it up into your ship.” They couldn’t even store it all together—one suitcase-bag-box-whatever-the-fuck was in Havve’s quarters; one was in the common area, taking up a bunch of space; and the other was half-shoved into a storage closet.</p><p>Not exactly ideal, but it could’ve been worse, like that time Meouch had to explain to a new hire <em>why</em> he wouldn’t allow beehives on the ship. </p><p>“So, uh, the fuck are you doin’ on a machine like this?” Meouch asked, collapsing into the captain’s chair and attempting to stretch his back. </p><p>Havve hesitated. “It’s, uh… it’s a personal project.”</p><p>Meouch waited for elaboration, but realized he wouldn’t get any. “Well, whatever it is, good luck with it, I guess. I better not get any fucking viruses when you plug that thing in, though.”</p><p>“I have extremely good security software,” Havve said. </p><p>Meouch let out a sigh. “Alright, well, our appointment with customs is in, uh… forty five minutes? Which should give us plenty of time to get all the fuckin’ snow off the ship. Follow me, we’re gettin’ the big boys out.”</p><p>They worked well together, brushing the snow off of the windshield, wings, and engines of Meouch’s ship. She was an old ship from somewhere in the Delta A6-1 system that Meouch bought for almost nothing. He dragged her halfway across the galaxy before fixing her up, refurbishing and upgrading her until she was perfect. He called her Sadie Ana Louise Tallulah Yasmine, or SALTY for short. </p><p>“Dare I even ask why?” Havve asked.</p><p>“She’s got a bit of a temper on her, especially back when I was fixing her up. I had so many names picked out, I had it narrowed down to like twenty or something, and started looking for words in the initials so I could give ‘er more than one. SALTY was the first one I came up with, and it fit.” He shrugged. “I think it suits her, don’tcha?”</p><p>Havve just stared at him. It was kind of unnerving, since he couldn’t emote, but Meouch still got the sense of incredulousness from him.</p><p>“...Alright then, cool. We’ve gotta meet with the feds soon, so let’s start packing up. Let me do most of the talking, they shouldn’t give us too much shit.” Havve nodded once and followed him, dragging the snow brushes behind him. </p><p>After throwing the brushes haphazardly into a closet, where Meouch knew he would not remember the next time he needed them, they set off for the Intergalactic Commission for Travel Monitoring building. It was a massive circular building near the entrance of the shipyard, standing several stories tall with glass windows and doors. Normally, Meouch hated dealing with the ICTM. It was a pain in the ass to smuggle <em>anything</em> past those guys. They were good at their jobs, which made Meouch’s job harder.</p><p>Unfortunately for them, Meouch was one of the best smugglers out there, as close to a professional as one could get in an illegal profession. While he’d had some close calls over the years, he’d never once been caught. Back in the day, he let it get to his head. He was a cocky little bastard, he was surprised—and damn <em>lucky</em>—that nobody had put a bounty on his head in hopes of getting him to shut the fuck up. He grew up pretty quick once the ICTM really started cracking down on smuggling, especially Funk. </p><p>Nowadays, he was pretty sure he was in too deep to quit. </p><p>He shook the thought out of his head as he walked through the sliding glass doors. There was no use in dwelling on the what-ifs. Head up high, one foot in front of the other, take no shit and do as little harm as possible: those guiding principles hadn’t gotten him killed yet, so Meouch saw no reason to do anything differently.</p><p>Havve loomed silently over his shoulder as Meouch did the pre-appointment check-in on the kiosk. He muttered under his breath as he filled out the form, scanned both of their IDs, and answered a few questions.</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Do you have any dangerous or potentially dangerous cargo aboard your spacecraft?</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>&gt;&gt;If yes, are you licensed to transport such cargo?</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>He hit “no” without hesitating, like always. At least this time, he didn’t feel the little twinge of guilt that tended to worm its way through his chest. He learned a long time ago how to shove those emotions down, to not react to them at all. If he let his guilt get to him, he’d start reacting, consciously or not. Those biometric scanners hiding around every corner were made to detect changes in heart rate, blood flow, brain activity, even the way someone fidgeted or adjusted their stance. They kind of creeped him out.</p><p>He finished the check-in, got his receipt with the number on it, and guided Havve to the waiting area. There was no one there, so they didn’t have to wait too long. Twenty minutes later, they were given departure instructions and a time window in which they could leave. They walked back to SALTY in silence, listening to the crunch of snow beneath their feet.</p><p>Havve let out a sound like a sigh as soon as they were in the ship. “Fuckin’ A,” he muttered.</p><p>“Problem?”</p><p>“I’ve had some issues with ICTM before. Sometimes they give me shit for being a cyborg, I was worried maybe they’d give us a hard time.”</p><p>Meouch shook his head. “Nah, they’re pretty chill on MAR-4. I usually stop by two or three times a year, so they kinda know me.”</p><p>“Ah. A sense of trust.”</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>“How many times have you smuggled something right under their noses?”</p><p>“I stopped keeping track.” That actually wasn’t true, he just hadn’t bothered to look recently. “My guess is in the 70-80 range, if you count smuggling in and smuggling out as different occasions.”</p><p>“Impressive.”</p><p>“Unfortunately,” he said under his breath.</p><p>Havve cocked his head. “Why?”</p><p>“Huh? Oh, I was just talkin’ to myself, nevermind. Anyway, if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’d like to take one last smoke break.” His first lie to Havve. Great.</p><p>He leaned against the hull of the ship, relishing in the contrast of the warm smoke and the frigid air outside. It always helped ground him. If he did this job, and if he did this job right, maybe he could finally run away. He’d pick a direction, jump to lightspeed, and disappear. He didn’t think he’d be able to settle down on one planet, having been cursed with wanderlust from a young age. But he’d never come back, that’s for sure. It would just be him, his bass, his ship, and the stars. </p><p>Meouch watched the smoke dissipate on a breeze, mingling with the falling snow. With a sigh, he snuffed the cigarette and turned back to re-embark. He swore he heard footsteps fading away, but figured it was just his imagination. He took one last breath of winter air before shutting the door and making his way to the cockpit to prepare for takeoff.</p><p>Havve was already in the co-pilot seat, flipping switches, pressing buttons, and running tests, making careful note of everything. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded once at Meouch before turning back to his work. Within an hour, they were given the all-clear, and set sail for the stars.</p><p>Meouch wasn’t sure anymore if the queasy feeling he got during takeoff and landing was from the atmospheric pressure changes or just plain excitement. There was a special kind of adrenaline that ran through his veins while piloting his ship, a kind he found difficult to replicate. There was nothing quite like flying.</p><p>“How’re you doin, Hogan?”</p><p>It took a moment for him to respond. “Some organics are upset, but I’ll be fine.”</p><p>“If you’re gonna puke, do it in a bag, please.”</p><p>“I don’t have a stomach.”</p><p>“Perfect!” He felt Havve staring at him, and backpedaled a bit. “I mean, not, like, ‘hell yeah, less organs,’ but in a ‘at least on the bright side you don’t get sick’ kinda way.”</p><p>Havve snorted. “You should give it a try,” he said, “I find not having a stomach very convenient.”</p><p>“Yeah, no. Sorry.”</p><p>Havve laughed—it was quiet, but his shoulders bounced and the LEDs in his mask flickered. “Well, I’ll make sure the flowers at your funeral are beautiful, cause I’m gonna live forever.”</p><p>“You have fun with that, bud, I’m peacing out at some point.”</p><p>“Do I get to keep your ship?”</p><p>“Sure, as long as you bury me with my bass.”</p><p>“Deal.”</p><p>“Do <em>not</em> try to kill me to get my ship, I swear to the gods—”</p><p>They ended up oblivious to the stars flying past them, lost to their laughter.</p>
<hr/><p>Phobos asked that they leave in Sung’s ship, since Avotira would need to allocate all of its sources to aid the evacuations. His ship was surprisingly big, and unsurprisingly unorganized. Or rather, organized in a way that <em>only made sense to Sung.</em></p><p>“Make yourself at home!” he said with a big grin. “I can give you a real tour once you’re settled in, but first, follow me.” He led them down a hallway and kicked the door open, since he was juggling three guitar cases—Phobos had the other three. Once they were carefully stacked in the corner of the room, they got the rest of Phobos’s things and brought them on board, dumping them in an unceremonious heap on the floor.</p><p>Sung guided Phobos through the ship, helping him get his bearings. He had removed his gloves, shoving them into the pouch on his thigh. He let his fingers drag along the wall, drumming mindlessly.</p><p>“So—When you touch the wall like that, what do you <em>feel?”</em> Phobos asked. </p><p>“I can see the recent history, things that have happened in the past… eh, day or so? They’re almost like memories. I touch it, get the information all at once, and then I have to dissect it, organize and classify it. Y’know? Anyway, it makes maintenance so much easier. I basically get to ask the ship what’s wrong, and she’ll tell me.”</p><p>“And you’re like that with everything?”</p><p>“Yeah. How do you think I passed all those classes?” he asked with a sly grin. </p><p>“So in theory, you could be an expert in literally anything.”</p><p>“In theory, yes. But my memory isn’t <em>perfect.</em> And I wouldn’t want to know everything, anyway.”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“If I know everything, then what’s left to learn?”</p><p>Phobos was silent for a moment. “I’m sure you’d find something.”</p><p>Sung finished the tour, and having run diagnostics during said tour, was ready to leave. He sat in the cockpit for a few moments while Phobos took a minute to say goodbye. He had no idea if he’d ever see Avotira again, or if he did, if it would be the same. Tears stung his eyes, and his last breaths of his home’s air were sobs. He tried to commit the taste to memory.</p><p>He knew he’d never truly be ready to leave, but Sung was waiting for him. Phobos eventually forced himself to board Sung’s ship. By the time he found the cockpit, he was no longer sobbing, just reduced to sniffles and the occasional shuddering breath. Gods, he wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to leave home.</p><p>“Hey,” Sung said softly. “Um—are you sure we can just… leave?”</p><p>Phobos nodded. “Yeah. They, uh—They know we’re leaving. So.”</p><p>He nodded. “Okay.” </p><p>Phobos hoped Sung couldn’t see him trembling, tears on his cheeks as he tried to cry silently. He hoped that Sung didn’t hear the pained sob that left his chest when they took off. As soon as they left the atmosphere and started cruising, Phobos fumbled with the seatbelt and said,  “I-I’m gonna go, uh, get settled in? I-If that’s okay?”</p><p>“Mm-hmm. Take your time.”</p><p>Phobos nodded and left. He only got a little lost on his way to his room. It wasn’t huge, but it was comfortable. There easily could have been another bed in there, but for now, it was just Phobos. He almost wished there was an extra bed, just so the room didn’t feel so empty. He hadn’t brought much, what with the world ending and all. He had two airtight, water-proof bins full of music that fit under his bed; his guitars; a suitcase full of small trinkets wrapped protectively in clothes; a small box of valuables; and a suitcase stuffed to the brim with clothes.</p><p>Unfortunately, it didn’t take him too long to get settled in, but he wanted to be alone. He would give himself a day or two to mourn, and then he had to press forward. If he succeeded, he’d get to go back home anyway.</p><p>If.</p><p>There was a light knock on the door. “Phobos? You awake, bud?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Can I come in?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>Sung opened the door, holding a plate of food and a cup of water. He had taken his helmet off, to Phobos’s surprise. He was fairly humanoid, similar to Phobos in facial structure. The obvious exception was his third eye, smack dab in the middle of his forehead. His hair brushed his shoulders, the top half done up in a messy braided bun. His hair was staticky, dozens of strands sticking up every which way. </p><p>“No matter what I do,” he said, tapping the door closed with his foot, “when I take the cone off, my hair does this.”</p><p>Phobos failed to stifle a laugh. “My hair does the same thing.”</p><p>“Oh, the joys of helmet hair,” Sung said, rolling his eyes. “Well, I thought you might be getting hungry. If you want company, that’s cool, if you don’t, that’s fine, too. Just let me know what you need, okay?”</p><p>“Thank you. Did you already eat?” </p><p>“Eh, not hungry.” </p><p>“Would you mind sitting with me anyways?”</p><p>“Sure.” </p><p>It started out awkward and silent, but eventually, Phobos started warming up a little bit. They began swapping stories, and soon, Phobos’s plate was discarded to the bedside table as he and Sung laughed until their sides hurt. “Fuck, dude, I’ve done enough crying today,” Phobos said, wiping his eyes. “Holy shit.”</p><p>Sung took a moment to calm his own laughter before saying, “How are you doing? With… y’know.”</p><p>Phobos sighed and shrugged half-heartedly. “I’m doing my best, I guess. It still just feels so surreal. But I’m cautiously optimistic. You said you had a good lead, right?”</p><p>“Yeah! We should get there in a few  days. Well, there aren't really a days when we’re travelling like this, and I currently don’t have the ship set to run an artificial day/night cycle—but I can turn that on, if you’d like. I know I’m tired, I’m sure you’re tired. Sleep as long as you need, and I'll see you in the 'morning.'”</p><p>“Sounds good to me.”</p><p>They went to bed shortly after. Phobos found the droning hum of the ship comforting as he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.</p>
<hr/><p>His lungs were burning, but he couldn’t stop. Not now. He was so close. He was running for his life, desperate to not be caught by the forces of Boredom. Not again. Not again.</p><p>His legs turned to jelly, he felt like his torso had been turned inside out. He tried to run faster, but he just couldn’t. His body was at its limit.</p><p>He tripped on something, and suddenly up was down and left was right. He wheezed as he tried to sit up and reorient himself, but he couldn’t. His limbs were heavy as lead, a useless, dead weight.</p><p>“Recalibrate him,” a voice said.</p><p>His tongue was thick and foreign in his mouth, but he tried to scream anyway. Fuck no, gods no, please no. He couldn’t—he wouldn’t—he couldn’t—</p><p>“You really thought you could take us down, couldn’t you? You failed. But don’t worry… we welcome you back.”</p><p>No, no, no, no—</p><p>He was falling. He needed something, anything, to hold on to. He couldn’t lose himself, not again.</p><p>
  <em>My name is Havve Hogan. My name is Havve Hogan. <strong>My name is Havve Hogan, MY NAME IS HAVVE HOGAN—</strong></em>
</p><p>He startled awake, phantom tears pricking his eyes.</p>
<hr/><p>Phobos stumbled into the cockpit, reluctantly awake. “Good morning, Sung,” he yawned.</p><p>“Good morning, Phobos,” he sighed. “Sleep well?”</p><p>“Yeah. Really well.” He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. “How are you?”</p><p>“Hm.” Sung wasn’t normally one to get angry, but he was definitely peeved. He tapped some screens, then asked, “Hey, Phobos? Would you care to explain to me <em>why</em> I have nearly <em>three hundred</em> missed hails from Avotiran authorities?”</p><p>“You what?!” Phobos shook the grogginess off, and stared in horror at the onslaught of messages. </p><p>“There’s also a bounty on my head. I love the smell of a fresh bounty in the morning.”</p><p>“A bounty?!”</p><p>“Yeah, for <em>kidnapping a prince of Avotira.”</em></p><p>Phobos took a deep breath, steepling his fingers in front of his face. “I can explain. And also fix it.”</p><p>“You told me she knew about this, and that she was okay with it.”</p><p>“Well, I, uh, didn’t say those exact words in that exact order—”</p><p>“<em>Phobos</em>.”</p><p><em>“Alyaveşta, </em>I can fix this, I promise. We’ll clear the bounty, we’ll get them off our asses, it’ll be fine. I am so sorry.”</p><p>Sung sighed. “I know. I’ll go get started on breakfast.”</p><p>He tried not to eavesdrop, but there was a lot of yelling from several <em>clearly</em> pissed off people. He may not have spoken Phobos’s language, but he knew enough about language in general to understand that this was an absolute shitshow. It was always fun making breakfast to the soundtrack of a family argument.</p><p>At one point, based on the inflection, emotion, and volume, Phobos shouted what Sung could only assume translated to the classic “Oh my god, you’re NOT my parent!” line. He barely stifled his laughter.</p><p>After forty minutes, Phobos finally wandered back by Sung. “It’s done,” he said. “There’s no more bounty, as long as I give regular updates they’ll leave us alone, if I’m ever in the same room with about half of my family members I’ll be killed, but what <em>matters</em> is you’re no longer wanted by intergalactic authorities.”</p><p>“...You were the troublemaker kid, weren’t you?”</p><p>Phobos laughed. “Oh, absolutely. There's a reason my parents didn’t have any more kids after my brother and me. Man, we were a handful when we were little. We probably took years off of my parents’ lifespans.” He shook his head. “Do you have any siblings?”</p><p>Sung’s breath caught in his throat. “No,” he said, suddenly very interested in whisking some eggs. “No, I don’t have any siblings.”</p><p>Phobos seemed to get the hint. After a few moments, he said, “Hey, would you mind if we listened to some music while we’re floating through space? I noticed there’s a port on your console that’s compatible with most music players.”</p><p>“We’re hardly floating, but yeah, absolutely! I’ve got my own music collection, but it’s not as impressive as yours. I’m always down to listen to new music.”</p><p>“I’m sure we’ll find something we can jam to together.”</p><p>The awkward moment passed, and they fell back into the rowdy new-friendship-dynamic: they laughed and joked and told stories between periods of quiet introspection, the kinds of conversations that were normally reserved for unholy hours of the morning.</p><p>Sung couldn’t remember the last time he had made a friend like Phobos. He was pretty sure becoming friends with his client was a morally gray area, but he was also pretty sure that in this instance, the gray was more like a light silver.</p>
<hr/><p>Meouch never would have guessed that Havve was the anxious type, but the guy was so tightly wound that sometimes he got a headache just looking at him. He was always trying to stretch out his shoulders and neck, rubbing at his forearms that were tight from constantly clenching his fists.</p><p>The only thing that seemed to get him to loosen up was music. It was amazing, watching his body unwind and relax as the beat and melody washed through his aural implants. Sometimes he’d tap his foot or his hands to the beat.</p><p>During a particularly bass-heavy song, Havve said, “You play bass, right?”</p><p>He nodded. “Yep.”</p><p>“Are you good?”</p><p>“Fuck yeah, I am. Listen, I don’t have much in life to be proud of, but I am <em>good</em> at bass.”</p><p>Havve nodded in his periphery.  “...Would you play for me sometime?”</p><p>Meouch blinked. “Oh, uh… yeah, sure. If you want.”</p><p>Havve nodded again. “I admire musicians,” he said. “I appreciate their art, but can’t make any myself. That’s not me asking you to teach me, by the way. I just wanna see. And hear.”</p><p>“Yeah, bud, sure. I’ve been playing for… geeze, as long as I can remember. Can’t think of a time in my life without it.”</p><p>“Sounds nice, having something like that. I’m trying to find something I can call my own, which is difficult when you have <em>nothing.</em>”</p><p>Meouch let out a sigh. “Yeah. I’ve been there. I don’t envy you.”</p><p>“Good. No one should envy me.”</p>
<hr/><p>Phobos sat beside Sung with a sigh, putting his head in his hands. “What’s up?” Sung asked. “Wanna talk about it?”</p><p>“They’re making good progress with the evacuations. They’re having problems with some people who don’t want to leave. Even in the face of imminent death, they don’t want to leave home.”</p><p>“What are they gonna do?”</p><p>“I dunno. Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about it.”</p><p>Sung nodded. “Yeah.”</p><p>“I can’t help but feel guilty, though. Like I’m just running away from my problems. Most people on my planet don’t even believe that The Device <em>exists.</em>”</p><p>“But you do. And so do I. And billions of other people across the universe.”</p><p>“I know. But there’s still that twinge of doubt, y’know?”</p><p>“Yeah. I know what that’s like.”</p><p>“Really?” Phobos asked. “You’re one of the smartest people I know. You’re probably one of the smartest people in the universe.”</p><p>Sung shrugged. “It feels like the more I learn, the less I know. Like I’m in this doomed cycle of never knowing my place, so I keep learning to try and find it, but I never do, so I go somewhere else, start learning again, and it continues. I have almost seventy degrees, Phobos. That’s not necessarily something I’m proud of. If anything, it’s a testament to my indecisiveness.”</p><p>“Hmm...” Phobos shifted, staring at the stars outside the window. “I don’t think you’re indecisive. I think you’re brilliant, and curious, and you want to help people. I think that’s admirable.”</p><p>Sung cracked a small smile. “Thanks.”</p>
<hr/><p>Meouch finished his beer, chucking the can over his shoulder. He stretched his shoulders with a yawn, and tilted his head from side to side, popping the vertebrae. They were maybe an hour away from where The Device supposedly was. His ears twitched—Havve was approaching.</p><p>“H’suh, dude? How’s it going?”</p><p>“We need to talk.”</p><p>Meouch arched his brow. “Uh, okay. What’s up?”</p><p>Havve sat down, took a deep breath, and said, “You don’t know who you’re working for.”</p><p>“...Excuse me?”</p><p>“Your buyer, your client, whatever you want to call them. They are <em>not</em> who you think they are.”</p><p>Meouch sat up and crossed his arms. “What’s <em>that</em> supposed to mean?”</p><p>“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I’ve been monitoring your buyer for years, ever since I escaped them. I joined your crew because I can’t let you bring The Device to them.”</p><p>“The fuck are you talking about, Hogan?” Meouch snarled.</p><p>“You’re working for Boredom. You <em>have been</em> working for Boredom.”</p><p>Meouch forgot to breathe for a few seconds. Then, “Bullshit.”</p><p>“I have proof. I’ve been watching Boredom use aliases and dummy corporation names for <em>years</em> to try and find The Device. Your current buyer, Orion District Intergalactic Operations? ODIO. <em>Mihi in odio est,</em> literally ‘it is hateful to me.’ The foundation of the word Boredom.”</p><p>“I would never work for Boredom.”</p><p>“<em>Knowingly</em>. I trust that you would never knowingly work for Boredom. But they have deceived you, as they have deceived billions.”</p><p>“Wait—”</p><p>“Newton Universal Enterprises? NUE. The most common mispronunciation of <em>ennui,</em> a synonym for Boredom, is ‘en-you-ee.’ They’ve used you, like they’ve used so many people, myself included. It’s not your fault, I don’t blame you. But I can not and will not let you hand them The Device.”</p><p>“No, no, no, hang on, I… You’re telling me that I’ve been secretly working for Boredom, and helping those bastards take over the universe?!”</p><p>“Unwittingly, yes.”</p><p>“I can’t believe this—”</p><p>“I have proof—”</p><p>“Why did you wait until now to tell me this?”</p><p>“Would you have believed me if I waltzed into that hole in the wall dive bar, told you all of  this, and then demanded you hire me? No, of course not. Not only did you need to trust me, but I needed to trust you. </p><p>“I trust you. I trust you enough to tell you the truth, because I will be damned if I let Boredom get The Device.”</p><p>Meouch blew out a breath. “I need a minute to process this. My fucking gods.”</p><p>After a few minutes, Havve said, “I wasn’t expecting you to become my friend. You have my respect and my trust. And now I’m asking for your help. We can’t let Boredom achieve Universal Unification.”</p><p>“What is that?”</p><p>“It’s the reason they attack planets and destroy cultures, the reason they’re trying to take over the universe. They think they can unite the universe, and end all conflict and suffering. They want to eliminate all art, all creative expression. They think that creativity is destructive, that it will tear the universe apart. So the only solution is to destroy all sense of individuality and creativity.”</p><p>Meouch’s blood ran cold. “I—That’s… They… What the fuck?!”</p><p>“Universal Unification was the only thing I cared about for <em>years.</em> Boredom destroyed me and frankensteined me back together into a mindless drone. I had no thoughts, no ambition, no identity outside of the desperate need to serve Boredom.” His hands were shaking. “I can’t remember everything I’ve done, and I think that’s for the best. But two years ago, I suddenly woke up. My memories are <em>fucked,</em> but they stole me from my life and—” He took a deep breath. “And I can’t let Boredom succeed. I’ll die before I let that happen.”</p><p>Meouch just stared at him, at a complete loss for words.</p><p>“...If that offer for a hug is still available, I’d like to take you up on that now,” Havve said quietly.</p><p>He nodded, holding his arms out and bracing himself for what he was assuming would be a tackle hug. It was actually much gentler than that, like Havve was afraid of hurting him. They stayed like that for a while.</p>
<hr/><p>“Phobos!” Sung called. ”Phobos, come here!”</p><p>He clambered over to Sung’s side. “What is it?” </p><p>Sung was practically bouncing in his seat, and pointed at a dot on the screen. “That’s it,” he said. “I think that’s where The Device is.”</p><p>“Holy shit…  Y-You found it?”</p><p>“We found it,” Sung said. He turned to Phobos and smiled. “Hopefully, when we get there, I’ll be able to tell. But I think that’s it.”</p><p>“Holy shit.”</p><p>“Yeah. It says we’ll be there in a few hours. Once we land and make sure it’s safe, we get to go treasure hunting.”</p><p>“And we’re gonna save Avotira.”</p><p>“And we’re gonna save Avotira.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? We’ll get there when we get there, so I hope you’re enjoying the journey! Comments make my day, if you feel so inclined :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Top Secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There is a very brief, nondescript mention of a skeleton/bones after "A few hours passed... more and more lost."  After "'I need to sit down,'" there are no more mentions. After the last page break, there is pretty nondescript violence, including a mention of attempted choking. I don't believe that anything else needs a warning, but please leave a comment if something should be mentioned here.</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“...and so the old gods, satisfied with their work, laid themselves to rest in their new creation, their bodies giving life to the universe. They did not fear death, for they knew they would one day return as new gods. They left behind a special object, a Device usable only by the divine. One day, the gods will be reborn in bodies like ours. They will follow their destinies to find The Device and return, ushering in a new age of light, love, and discovery…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>~ an excerpt from the Creation Myth of the Halla Kénobari People, native to Eirgonotia</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>“Well,” Meouch said, “we’re here. As to whether or not The Device is here, who the fuck knows?”</p><p>“Hopefully we the fuck will know,” Havve said. “I hope it’s here. I don’t think they would have sent <em>you</em> on a wild goose chase.”</p><p>“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”</p><p>Havve shrugged. “From what I could see in their internal documents, they gave you one of their strongest leads.”</p><p>“Then yes.”</p><p>Entering the atmosphere was rough, with lots of turbulence, white-knuckled grips, and swearing. While the ship ran bioscans to make sure they wouldn’t die the moment they stepped foot outside, Havve took the opportunity to restart and recalibrate some of his sensors that got fucked up upon landing. Meouch laid on his back and took deep breaths until the ship stopped spinning around him. A beeping noise told him the scan was complete.</p><p>“Okay... We should be good,” he said. “I don’t see anything concerning here, do you?”</p><p>Havve glanced at the screen for half of a second, and shook his head.</p><p>“Alright. Then I guess we head out.” Meouch wasn’t quite sure what to expect, so he treated it like any other extraction mission: minimal weapons, first aid kit, batteries, a fresh box of cigarettes and a new lighter. He tried to ignore Havve’s nervous fidgeting. “Aren’t you gonna bring anything?”</p><p>“I’m prepared. I have my knives, I’m good to go.”</p><p>Meouch shrugged. “Alright. Works for me. Let’s go.”</p><p>They disembarked, treading carefully as they approached what appeared to be the entrance to a maze. The hedges were tall, and extended as far as they could see. The air was alive, humming with a strange energy. Almost like static, but… far more powerful. </p><p>“Meouch…” Havve said, pointing over his shoulder. Meouch turned around, and was greeted by the sight of a ship. An old, rusty, long-abandoned ship, overtaken with vines and other plants. He swore, running a hand through his mane. “We’re not alone?”</p><p>Meouch gestured for Havve to follow him, and headed in the direction of the ship. As they got closer, more downed ships came into view. Old. Abandoned. Dead. “Whoever was here before us did not leave,” Meouch said. “And I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that if they did find The Device, they wouldn’t have continued to chill on this planet.” He turned and looked to the maze entrance, only to find it closer than he remembered. “What the…?”</p><p>“What?” Havve turned around. “I don’t—”</p><p>The maze shifted, the entrance moving closer to them. When it was centered between the two of them, it stopped. They watched the hedges rearrange themselves further in. </p><p>“It moves. It fucking <em>moves.</em> Oh for the love—I don’t like <em>stationary</em> mazes. We’re gonna fucking die here,” Meouch said, fumbling for a cigarette.</p><p>“We’ll be fine,” Havve said. “I can keep track of where we are, where we’ve been. We won’t get lost.”</p><p>“Has it occurred to you that there might be factors other than starvation and dehydration that could have killed the people before us?”</p><p>Havve stared at him, expressionless, but Meouch could see from the way his hands clenched into fists that Havve was unhappy. “Then stay here, Meouch. Wait in the ship. If I’m not back in 170 hours, you can leave. But I’m going in, and I’m finding The Device.” He spun on his heel and strode fearlessly into the maze. </p><p>There was no way in hell Meouch was going to lounge in his ship while his friend navigated whatever the fuck this was.</p><p>He chased after Havve, catching up in only a few paces. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Meouch said.</p><p>“I do.”</p><p>Havve didn’t hesitate, but Meouch took a moment to look over his shoulder, back at his ship. He was pretty sure he was walking to his death. With one last loving look at SALTY, he followed Havve into whatever nightmare was ahead.</p>
<hr/><p>The moment Sung stepped off of his ship and took the first breath of air, he wanted to leave. Something was seriously <em>not right</em> here. A pink crescent moon hung low in the sky, barely illuminating the darkness ahead of them. And there was another ship. A gentle touch told him that its occupants left about two hours ago.</p><p>Sung had no idea what the fuck Phobos was saying, but at least the language sounded melodious as he paced in circles and ran his hands through his hair, looking around with wide eyes.</p><p>“Phobos? Phobos. Phobos!”</p><p>He finally stopped, and looked at Sung. “What?”</p><p>“You’re making me dizzy. Just take a deep breath, dude. Okay? I know you’re anxious, but that’s not going to help you think clearly.”</p><p>“I know,” he said. “I just… we’ve come so far. We’re so close. I can’t fail now.”</p><p>Sung chose not to comment that Phobos didn’t get to determine his failure or success. That was dependent entirely on what lied ahead. </p><p>“I know. We’re gonna be fine. Trust me.”</p><p>Phobos sighed. “Okay. I trust you.”</p><p>They entered the maze. At the first intersection, Sung tried reaching out to the hedge, only for it to vanish in front of him. He stared at where the hedge had been. “Huh. Guess we’re going this way.”</p><p>At the next intersection, he tried again. This time, the hedge leapt towards him, sending him scrambling backwards with a startled yelp. The hedge returned to its previous position, and Sung got a very strong feeling of warning. “Phobos? Can you… try touching the maze?”</p><p>“Um. I-I guess?” He tentatively reached out, and poked a leaf. He tried again, running his hand through some of the leaves. “Sung?”</p><p>“It doesn’t like me.” </p><p>Phobos snorted. </p><p>“I’m serious, it—it didn’t react to you the way it did to me. It clearly has some kind of… sapience. It changes, and it does <em>not</em> want me to touch it.”</p><p>“Great.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Well… I guess we take turns picking which direction we go?”</p><p>“Works for me.”</p><p>A few hours passed, the shadows looming larger as Sung and Phobos ventured further into the maze, getting more and more lost. Nothing happened for a long time—until Phobos turned a corner too sharply and accidentally stepped on something that crunched. He screamed, leaping away and holding onto Sung.</p><p>“What the <em>fuck</em> was that?! Oh, <em>Alyaveşta,</em> please tell me that wasn’t a skeleton.”</p><p>Sung looked around the corner and saw what appeared to be a  shattered femur. “Well, the good news is it’s not an <em>entire</em> skeleton.”</p><p>“I need to sit down.” Phobos plopped down, leaning back against the hedge and tilting his head up to the sky, muttering under his breath. Sung, not too keen on being eaten by the hedge, sat in the middle of the walkway, keeping watch. He leaned back on his hands, trying to stretch his back.</p><p>
  <em>(not many have walked here,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>only ever going deeper into the maze,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>no one’s ever come back this way,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>or any way,</em>
</p><p><em>for thousands and thousands of years</em>—)</p><p>Sung frowned, focusing on the feelings as he pushed his hands into the soft dirt. </p><p>
  <em>(he can’t be shown the way,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>that’s not allowed,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>nor can he be told if what he seeks is here,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>but he <span class="u">can</span> see two that have walked this way,</em>
</p><p><em>recently</em>—)</p><p>And suddenly he was thrown out. He shook his head and tried feeling again, but something was blocking him. Phobos was looking at him. “Sorry, did I… did you say something?”</p><p>“I just said I’m ready to go when you are.” He cocked his head to one side. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Sung nodded, pushing himself up to stand. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He re-secured his gloves before offering his hand to help Phobos up. “There are two other people in the maze with us. Together. And I can’t be shown the way because ‘it’s not allowed.’”</p><p>Phobors wrinkled his nose. “What does <em>that</em> mean?”</p><p>“I think it means we’re heading in the right direction.”</p>
<hr/><p>Havve was lost. And because Meouch was with him, Meouch was lost, too. </p><p>“I think we’re still heading the right way,” he said. “Does it seem weird to you that we’ve never hit any dead ends? Does it just constantly shift to avoid them?”</p><p>Meouch didn’t answer.</p><p>Havve turned around, and realized Meouch wasn’t there.</p><p>“Fuck.” He scrambled for the small communicator Meouch had given him that he kept in a pouch by his hip. The damn screen was fucked up, glitching out, but he managed to type out a message. He sent it out, hoping it would find Meouch.</p><p>Havve never liked being in one place for too long. He walked slowly, but still wandered deeper into the maze. He glanced up at the sky. It looked the same as it had since he landed, but the maze seemed darker somehow. He pressed onwards, resolute in his goal.</p><p>He <em>had</em> to find The Device. Failure was not an option. He’d find The Device, find Meouch, and then he—</p><p>Havve froze in his tracks. Something… something was wrong.</p><p>A searing pain shot through his head, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.</p>
<hr/><p>Phobos never strayed from Sung’s side as they traversed the maze. He was terrified, barely able to string together coherent thoughts, but at least he wasn’t alone. He was never very good at being alone. And even though he’d only known Sung for… he’d lost track of time. A week? Ten days? Something like that—despite not knowing Sung for very long, Sung was the closest friend Phobos had had in a <em>long</em> time. </p><p>When all of this was over, he wanted him to meet Deimos. He had a feeling his twin brother and Sung would get along well. But maybe that wasn’t a good idea. Sung had reacted so strongly to the question about siblings. Something clearly happened he didn’t like to think about.</p><p>Dwelling on that would not help him get out of the maze alive, however. He focused on putting one foot in front of the other, on looking out for The Device. As he walked, he mentally played through some of his favorite songs, his fingers twitching as if he was playing his guitar. He had noticed Sung tended to do something similar when he was deep in thought, playing phantom keys.</p><p>“Hey,” Sung said softly, snapping Phobos out of his thoughts.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“I’m glad we met. I mean, it would be nice if we hadn’t met during a crisis that eventually led to  us wandering through a shapeshifting maze, <em>but</em> I’m glad we met.”</p><p>“Me too. I know you like to travel, but I hope once all of this is over, you’ll remember to visit every once in a while.”</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p><p>The minutes blurred into hours, and Phobos just once wanted to see something, anything, other than fucking hedges. It kind of made him feel like he was losing his mind. When he told Sung so, he said, “That was probably the intent,” which weren’t exactly the comforting words Phobos was hoping to hear. </p><p>They stopped for a short break, munching on some snacks and resting their feet. Phobos sent a prayer to the stars that they would find The Device soon.</p><p>Not two minutes later, something entered the atmosphere. “Son of a <em>bitch</em>,” he said, pointing at the sky. “What the fuck? Is everyone in the universe looking for The Device right now?!”</p><p>“They’re probably, what, at least ten hours behind us?” Sung said. “They shouldn’t be a problem.” His voice wavered ever so slightly.</p><p>“We gotta go. I’m going to find The Device, or I’m going to die trying.”</p><p>“Could we maybe not die, please?”</p><p>“If you insist,” he said with a sarcastic eyeroll. Sung playfully shoved him. Phobos, ever the bastard little brother, shoved back with a laugh—a laugh that turned into a horrified gasp when Sung fell into the hedge and disappeared.</p><p>“Sung?!” He swore he heard him faintly call back to him. “Sung?!”</p><p>When he approached the hedge wall, it slowly crept towards him, putting more distance between him and Sung. He was forced to walk further and further away from where he had last seen Sung. He wasn’t making any progress. When he hit another intersection, he steeled himself and turned the corner, continuing into the maze alone.</p>
<hr/><p>Havve slowly woke up, rolling himself onto his back and looking up at the sky. He felt like shit. What the fuck happened? How much time had passed? He started running diagnostics while he forced himself to sit up. </p><p>Something was wrong.</p><p>It felt like his skin was covered in a thin layer of grime, like all of his mechanical parts overheated, then froze, then overheated again. And he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t alone.</p><p>Havve <em>was</em> alone, though. He lost Meouch some time ago. It still felt like he was being watched. Just as his diagnostics were finishing up, something told Havve to look up. He did, and saw a ship enter the atmosphere. His heart stopped, and sank further and further in his chest as he read the diagnostics report.</p><p>Remote shutdown, location pin, remote memory copy, failed remote memory wipe, automatic restart.</p><p>Gods, Havve was <em>stupid.</em> He wished he could cry. He glanced at the sky again, and saw another ship. </p><p>He was a fool to believe he’d truly been rid of Boredom. They <em>let</em> him escape, knowing from his previous rebellious streaks that he would work against them, and lead them right to the fucking Device. He took a deep breath—clearly, Boredom didn’t have full control over him. He was still thinking his own thoughts, and the attempt at wiping his memory had failed. But Boredom was still <em>in his head,</em> following him to The Device.</p><p>He staggered to his feet, and pressed on. There was no time to sit around and lament his naïvety. Havve was on a mission, and he would destroy The Device if it was the last thing he did.</p>
<hr/><p>Sung was unceremoniously spat out by the hedge into an intersection gods-knew-where. He coughed, trying to get the wind back in his lungs. He pressed his hands into the ground and demanded an explanation.</p><p>
  <em>(the maze is angry,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>no one has been here for decades,</em>
</p><p><em>now there are invaders</em>—)</p><p>“Is The Device here?” Sung demanded. The ground gave him no answer. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, put his head in his hands, and took a few moments to organize his thoughts. He stood and approached the hedge. It started to recoil from him. “Is The Device here?” he repeated.</p><p>He lunged forward, barely grazing the leaves. Every instinct in his body screamed danger, but he pushed on, grabbing a handful of the leaves. “Is The Device here?”</p><p>
  <em>(countless travelers over the years,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>haggard and exhausted and anxious and hopeful,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>desperately searching the maze for something,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>something,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>something—)</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>“Are you here to protect something?”</p><p>
  <em>(protect, shield, defend,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>something is deep in the labyrinth,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>something that must be protected—)</em>
</p><p>“Take me to it.”</p><p>A surge of anger bit him, causing him to let go with a sharp hiss. He tried again, reaching out to the maze, demanding answers. The walls closed in on him, the maze writhing around him, ready to bury him alive. He held his hands out, letting them disappear into the maze. He closed his bottom two eyes and forced open his third one.</p><p>
  <em>“Show me the maze.”</em>
</p><p>In an instant, he could see everything, like he was floating in orbit above the planet. He saw ships landing by the entrance, he saw the maze move even when there was no one travelling through, he saw Phobos, he saw the other two in the maze… he saw it. He saw The Device.</p><p>
  <em>(you cannot have The Device,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>no one can have The Device,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I exist to protect it,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>it has been hidden here for millenia,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>and here it will remain—)</em>
</p><p>“No,” Sung said. “The Device is needed. Take me to it. Take Lord Phobos to it. Guide the other two out safely.”</p><p>
  <em>(you think you can tell me what to do?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>you think you know better?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>you think I will surrender The Device to you—?)</em>
</p><p>“Who are you?”</p><p>The maze silent for a few moments, but tightened its grip on Sung, vines digging into his skin. </p><p>
  <em>(I have no name,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>only a purpose,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>my one and only design is to protect The Device,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>as I have for longer than any species has ever recorded history—)</em>
</p><p>“And you have done well,” Sung said. “How many have ever made it to this planet? Maybe two hundred, throughout all of history? Have any ever made it this far, this close to The Device? ...Nothing lasts forever. It’s time to find a new purpose. I can get you started: lead Lord Phobos and me to The Device.”</p><p>
  <em>(I can’t,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I can’t lead anyone to that which I am sworn to protect,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I can’t help you—)</em>
</p><p>“Yes, you can. I’ll show you.”</p><p>Sung took a deep breath, concentrated, and started moving the maze.</p>
<hr/><p>Meouch thought he was dreaming. And after gods-knew how many hours of wandering alone through the maze, he figured it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. Maybe in his desperation to see anything other than another fucking wall of hedge, his brain fabricated this oasis. He trod carefully, following the dim pink light into the unknown.</p><p>He was tired, hungry, and thirsty, but other than that, he had no complaints. But when the maze had suddenly shifted in front of him, creating a path to this place, he didn’t hesitate. That strange charge in the air was stronger. He could taste it. </p><p>The ground trembled under his feet, and he barely caught his balance. He looked back at the maze, and his eyes widened. It was moving, retreating from where he had exited with a rumbling sound. He no longer had any idea what the fuck was going on. Meouch just wanted to find The Device, find Havve, and leave.</p><p>“HEY!” a voice that was definitely not Havve called. He saw a tall, lithe figure sprinting towards him. Gods, he hoped he wouldn’t have to fight this asshole. They stopped about twenty feet away from him, almost out of breath. “Who are you?”</p><p>“Meouch.”</p><p>“Meouch?” He nodded, and the person continued: “I am Lord Phobos Eutrepe of Avotira, and I am on a mission to save my planet and my people. I would advise you to not stand in my way.”</p><p>“Okay. Well, I’m heading that way, so…”</p><p>“As am I. Perhaps you should save yourself the trouble and stop for a break here.”</p><p>“No,” Meouch said. “Sorry, <em>Lord Phobos,</em> but I’m on a mission, too.”</p><p>“Are you?” he said flatly.</p><p>“Yeah, actually. I’m on my way to save the universe, so if you’ll excuse me…” He flashed a peace sign and turned around, continuing on his way to what he could only hope and pray was The Device.</p><p>Until Phobos kicked his legs out from under him, sending him face first into the ground. “My apologies.”</p><p>Meouch swore, pushing himself up and chasing after Phobos. It took him a couple minutes to catch up. “My… apol… ogies,” he huffed, before sticking his arm straight out to the side, leaving Phobos to slam into it. Meouch pushed him back, sending him tumbling, and kept running. </p><p>He thought Phobos was down for the count until he tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind out of both of them. Meouch growled, unsheathed his claws, and started swiping. Phobos dodged, rolling over his shoulder and jumping to his feet. They danced around each other, attacking, defending, chests heaving and hearts pounding, damn near evenly matched.</p><p>Meouch could feel Phobos gaining the upper hand, and suddenly the world was upside down and Phobos was kneeling over him. One arm was wrenched awkwardly behind his back, and the other was held down by Phobos’s foot.</p><p>“I’m not going to kill you,” Phobos said. “But I won’t let you stand in my way.”</p><p>“Dude,” Meouch wheezed, “can we, like—?” </p><p>Phobos placed his hands on Meouch’s neck, but didn’t even have the chance to choke him before a razor-sharp knife flew past him, barely missing his antennae. <em>Havve</em>. Meouch gasped, thanking every blurry star he saw that Havve had his back. Phobos rolled off of him and put his hands in the air, surrendering.</p><p>Havve was pissed, nothing but a monochromatic blur as he sprinted at Phobos, wielding a knife in each hand. Phobos scrambled back five, ten, twenty feet before Havve caught up to him. Havve loomed over him, pointing at his neck with a knife. “One move, and I kill you.” Havve returned to Meouch and helped him sit up, all while keeping a watchful eye on Phobos. “Are you injured?”</p><p>Meouch coughed like he was on his deathbed, but said, “I’ll live. Just need to… catch my breath. Good<em> gods</em> that guy can throw a punch.”</p><p>The ground rumbled again, and they all turned to see the maze falling. The hedges collapsed in on themselves and each other, dirt and debris and dust flying into the air. The nightmare maze was gone.</p><p>“Well,” Meouch said, “at least we don’t have to go through that fucking thing again.”</p><p>One hedge burst from the dustcloud, with a few small lights in it. A humanoid attached to those lights tumbled out of the bushes, gasping for breath. He turned back to the maze and gasped. <em>“No!”</em> The humanoid must have been insane, because he went running back to the maze, chasing after the retreating hedge.</p><p>“Sung!” Phobos called. He got to his feet and started running after him. “That’s my friend! <em>Sung!”</em></p><p>Havve reached for a knife on his belt, but Meouch stopped him. “It’s fine. I don’t think he’s gonna hurt us.”</p><p>“Meouch,” Havve said, “Boredom is here.”</p><p>He blinked, not fully comprehending. “What?”</p><p>“I fucked up—Boredom has been in my head this whole time. They followed me here, I led them right to the <em>godsdamned</em> Device, I’m so sorry—”</p><p>“Slow down, bud.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry, I never should have—”</p><p>“Don’t play that game.”</p><p>They both turned their heads at the sound of a sob. Phobos helped Sung stand, and guided him back to where Meouch and Havve were. “We come in peace,” Phobos said. “Please don’t attack us.”</p><p>Meouch slowly got to his feet and said, “We won’t if you won’t. Now, what the <em>fuck</em> is going on?”</p><p>“This is… this is Doctor Sung, he’s my friend, he’s having a moment. I’m Lord Phobos of Avotira. Sung has been helping me find The Device so I can save my people and my home. Meouch and I have already met.”</p><p>Havve stared at the two of them, and heaved a sigh. “Havve Hogan. I accidentally brought Boredom here.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I was an agent for… I don’t even know how long. I escaped and made it my goal to find The Device before they could, so they can’t use its power. They <em>let me</em> escape, and followed me here. And they’re not gonna have to deal with that fucking maze—” He was cut off by a gasping sob from Sung.</p><p>“Yeah, uh, the maze is a touchy subject right now. So let me get this straight: everyone is here for The Device, and Boredom’s on our asses, ready to kill us and take it?”</p><p>“Yes. We can’t let Boredom take The Device. It <em>will</em> be the end of life as the universe knows it.”</p><p>“D-Do you know how many are here?” Sung asked, his voice wavering.</p><p>“Not many. I don’t think they’re expecting much resistance.”</p><p>“Then we fight back,” Meouch said. “Get rid of these fuckers, grab The Device, and dip.”</p><p>“We don’t even know if it’s here!” Havve said.</p><p>“Yes, we do,” Sung said. He motioned for them to follow him. They crested a hill, and looked down into a structure that looked like an amphitheater. Where the stage would be was a pedestal with an otherworldly, glowing, pink…  thing. “That’s it. That’s The Device.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ohhhhhh fuck, shit's getting real! Comments make my day, if you feel so inclined :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Interlude ~ Story Art</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(You may have to scroll to the side to see the full image)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CH3gSPOnxjP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">Story Art by Atomic Pitou.</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2x2ogXyWCkr1c2LxmNxdTt?si=ATmcaCsiRwKyyORbE86SRw">Story Mix by Envirobaby</a>.</p><p> </p><p>  <i>You both rock! I'm so lucky to have been partnered with such insanely talented people for the Big Bang. I could never have done this without you. &lt;3 </i></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Device, Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Content warnings: There's a battle! The fighting is pretty vague, but a few wounds are mentioned, as well as blood.  Someone thinks they might throw up for a hot second, but they don't. Also, <i>there is a major character death in this chapter.</i></p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>“If the device you seek is out of reach, you have three options: yearn from afar, build a ladder to get there, or make your own.”</i>
</p><p>
  <i></i>
</p><p>
  <i></i>
</p><p>
  <i>~ a common proverb in the Dīru’ta System (also known as the Kepler-90 Draco System)</i>
</p>
<hr/><p>“Absolutely not,” Havve said, crossing his arms.</p><p>“I’m not gonna go crawling around in your head,” Sung said. “I’ll just see if I can find where Boredom is, and break that connection. But if you’re not comfortable with that, I respect your decision.”</p><p>“I’ve had enough people in my head for ten lifetimes. I don’t think they really care that much about me anymore. I led them to their treasure, so I can get fucked as far as they’re concerned.”</p><p>“Gods,” Phobos said, “these assholes are everywhere. Invading my planet, trying to steal The Device. If they would kindly fuck off, that’d be great.”</p><p>“Welcome to the club.”</p><p>They stood in a semi-circle, their backs to The Device, watching the horizon for the first signs of Boredom’s forces. They were too far away for Sung to feel, so all they could do was wait, and try to not let their anxieties get the better of them. </p><p>When they weren’t trying to kill each other, the four got along surprisingly well. Phobos was like a pendulum, swinging wildly between the disposition of a regal lord and that of any other shit-stirring bastard his age. Sung was strange for many reasons: the cone on his head, the light in his chest, his ability to commune with apparently anything. It was unnerving, to say the least.</p><p>Meouch didn’t seem super concerned about the duo, so Havve sulked by himself, still on high alert. Eventually, Sung and Phobos wandered off—not too far, but enough that they could have their own conversation. Meouch came to Havve’s side and sat on the ground with a sigh. After a moment, Havve joined him.</p><p>“Y’scared?”</p><p>“Yes.” He wrung his hands with a sigh. “And don’t tell me everything’s gonna be okay. We don’t know that.”</p><p>“I fuckin’ hate when people say that,” Meouch said. “I’ve heard that one too many times when things weren’t, in fact, okay. Usually people mean well, but still.”</p><p>Havve nodded. “So, what do you think of those two?”</p><p>“Weirdos, but they seem like my kinda weirdos. I know it takes you a while to warm up to people, but I think they’re good.” A brief silence fell before he said, “I was actually gonna talk to you about Sung.”</p><p>“He’s not going in my head.”</p><p>“But—”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“—what about your memories?”</p><p>An odd, cold sensation washed over him. If Sung was who he said he was, and could do what he said he could do…</p><p>“Just thought it might be something to consider. I didn’t say anything to him, don’t worry.”</p><p>Sung could help him. Havve knew his memories were still <em>somewhere</em>. He saw ghosts of them every so often. Sung could unearth them. Who was Havve? Did he have a family? Who was he before Boredom?</p><p>He could feel himself getting worked up, and started picking at the grass to ground himself. “If we all survive this… then maybe. But not before a battle. That wouldn’t be good for either of us.”</p><p>Meouch nodded. “See, this is why I keep you around, Hogan. You’re smart.” </p><p>“Please imagine me rolling my eyes.”</p><p>He laughed. “Well, since you asked so nicely.” The moment passed, and Meouch was serious again. “Speaking of… after. Assuming we live, assuming we succeed… what’re you gonna do next?”</p><p>Havve tilted his head back to look up at the stars. “I have no fucking idea.”</p><p>“Well, considering I’ve apparently been working for Boredom for several years, I don’t really know what I’m gonna do, either. I’ll find out when I get there, I s’pose.”</p><p>“Mm.”</p><p>“You’re my friend, Havve. You’re always welcome on my ship. We can travel, go off and get into trouble together.”</p><p>“Ha. I’ve had enough trouble for a while, I think. But…  I’ll consider it. Thank you.” He turned to look at Meouch. “Am I gonna have to memorize what SALTY stands for?”</p><p>“Yes, one hundred percent.”</p><p>“Then I’m fucked.”</p><p>Meouch laughed and gave Havve a good-natured little push. “Nah, you’re good. Her feelings won’t be too hurt.” He lit a cigarette and looked up at the stars. Havve could never see the pictures people claimed to see in the stars, but watching the puffs of smoke dance up into the heavens was relaxing and beautiful in its own way.</p>
<hr/><p>“Do you wanna talk about it?” Phobos asked gently, after they broke away from Havve and Meouch.</p><p>Sung sighed. “Yes and no. I don’t wanna get too worked up and have Boredom show up.” He looked down at his gloved hands. “I didn’t mean to.”</p><p>“I know you didn’t.”</p><p>“After we spoke, and we reached that understanding…  it never tried to stop me. Even as I was <em>killing it.</em> Gods.”</p><p>Phobos nodded awkwardly, unsure how to comfort Sung. “It’ll grow back, it told you so, right?”</p><p>“Will it? I’ve never encountered anything like it before. What if without its purpose—The Device, here to protect—it doesn’t regrow?” Sung hugged himself, staring at the ground.</p><p>“Have you experienced winter before?”</p><p>“Y-Yes?”</p><p>“Snow?”</p><p>“Yes? Why?”</p><p>“I’ve only seen snow <em>once</em> in my entire life. I thought it was so pretty. We don’t get snow on Avotira. We technically have a winter, but it’s just the time of year certain crops don’t grow. It stays stupid hot. Anyway, winter can kill plants, of course it can. But so many fight through, and come back in the spring. They just need time to rest before they can bloom again.</p><p>“I can’t imagine being the maze, tossing and turning for eons. I’d be tired. Now the maze has a chance to sleep, and it’ll wake up when the time is right, even if we’re on the other side of the Universe.”</p><p>Sung sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “When did you get so smart?”</p><p>“I’m a philosopher. I’ve spent a <em>lot</em> of time being an edgy existentialist.”</p><p>That got a genuine laugh out of Sung, much to Phobos’s delight. “I have sixty-nine degrees, and not a single one is in philosophy.”</p><p>“Perhaps you can study on Avotira.”</p><p>“...Please don’t take this the wrong way, but fuck no.”</p><p>They both laughed, falling against each other. “Aw, come on! You’ve lived a long time, you’ve seen a lotta shit, you have a million degrees, you’d be perfect for it!”</p><p>“Not if I’m falling asleep in class!”</p><p>Phobos shook his head. “You have a point, it’s definitely not for everyone.” He scuffed his shoe against the ground. “Sometimes, I’m not even sure it’s for <em>me</em>.”</p><p>Sung nodded. “I know that feeling.”</p><p>“It’s just… can I be completely honest for a second?”</p><p>“Yeah, of course.”</p><p>“Not that I haven’t been this whole time, just—we’re going into real talk territory.” </p><p>“Lead the way.”</p><p>“I’ve really loved travelling. Even though we were cooped up in your ship, it was better than being cooped up in my office. And I feel so <em>guilty.</em> It’s the worst kind of irony: I go on a mission to save Avotira and discover I’ve been unfulfilled. Part of me doesn’t even want to go back. I will, if I’m to save everyone and my planet. But the idea of going back to being in that office, doing the same shit I’ve been doing…” He took a deep breath. “It makes me want to cry. I can’t keep doing it.”</p><p>Sung nodded. “Yeah. It’s… always hard to have that realization, when you’ve been unhappy for so long you <em>forget</em> that you’re unhappy. And then you rediscover it and it just tears you apart again.”</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>“Do you have any idea what you wanna do?”</p><p>“Something with music would be nice. I’d like to travel, see the universe from a non-royal standpoint. It kinda warps your perceptions.”</p><p>“I bet.”</p><p>“Yeah.” A gentle breeze blew, sending a shiver down Phobos’s spine.</p><p>“You cold?” Sung asked.</p><p>“Eh, only a little.” </p><p>Sung wrapped his arm around Phobos’s shoulders, and gently rubbed his hand up and down Phobos’s arm. “Better?”</p><p>“Yeah. Thank you.” A comfortable silence fell between them for a while as they stargazed. “I think I’m like your maze, Sung. I’m not hibernating by any means, but I <em>am</em> changing. The snow is starting to melt, and I’ll find what makes me bloom again. And I’ll be happy.”</p><p>Sung nodded. “I know you will be.”</p><p>A few minutes later, they were both startled by the sound of Meouch hollering. He was waving at them frantically, and pointing to the horizon.</p><p>“They’re here,” Phobos said. He broke free of Sung’s grasp and tried to hype himself up, rolling his shoulders and bouncing on his toes. “Are you ready?”</p><p>“As I’ll ever be. Let’s go kick some ass.”</p>
<hr/><p>They stood in a semi-circle around The Device, ready to fight off the forces of Boredom. The plan was simple: don’t let them get The Device, and don’t die. They all had each other’s backs, but were more than prepared to take a slight beating to ensure Boredom didn’t leave with The Device.</p><p>The Haters were indistinguishable from each other, a vacant mass of drones marching towards The Device. One near the front had slightly different armour, and when they held up their hand, the forces stopped.</p><p>“Lay down your weapons and surrender to us. Resistance will not be met kindly. If you value your lives, stand aside.”</p><p>Sung, Phobos, Meouch, and Havve stood resolute and unwavering—that is, until Havve flipped them off.</p><p>“You gave yourself a name, as if that made you a person. You ran away, as if that was ever really an option. You still resist, as if the outcome will be any different this time.”</p><p>Havve tightened his grip on his knives. “Stay calm, Havve,” Meouch said.</p><p>
  <em>“Surrender.”</em>
</p><p>Nobody moved.</p><p>“You have chosen your deaths. Make peace with whatever you believe in, and prepare to die as fools.”</p><p>The Haters began to charge, eerily silent. “Don’t let them win!” Havve shouted.</p><p>An unstoppable force collided with an immovable object, and all hell broke loose.</p>
<hr/><p>As Havve told them, the first few waves of Haters would be deceptively weak, intended to lure them into a false sense of security, to get them tired before the real threats approached. It was petty and annoying, but it had worked countless times. It would not work this time.</p><p>Havve kept watch on the others out of the corner of his eye. Every so often, they would shout words of encouragement to each other. Meouch had his claws, a blaster, and two borrowed knives from Havve; Phobos had a sword and a blaster; Sung had nunchucks (which Havve thought was completely stupid at first) and his karate to fend them off; and Havve had his trusty collection of knives at his disposal. It didn’t take long for bodies to pile up by their feet. Most of the others’ were unconscious. All of Havve’s were dead.</p><p>The second wave came in, and they retreated slightly, hoping the Haters would trip over the bodies, and making it so they had less ground to cover. They all kept an eye out for each other, making sure nobody snuck past them. Meouch and Phobos were ready with their blasters to take any runaways down.</p><p>There was no break between the second and third waves, or the third and the fourth. Havve’s heart was pounding in his chest, and he was starting to get tired. The Haters continued advancing, creeping ever closer—too close for comfort.</p><p>A pained scream rang out, followed by several vehement curses. “Cover me!” Phobos screeched, struggling to fend off the Haters as his side bled. He was pale, stumbling and gasping for breath.</p><p>Havve looked at Phobos, looked at Sung and Meouch, looked at the Haters, looked at The Device, and made a decision.</p><p>He abandoned his position, sprinting towards the pedestal-shrine-thing The Device was on. He stopped a few times to throw knives with deadly accuracy.</p><p>“HAVVE!” Meouch shouted. “THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!”</p><p>Havve couldn’t afford to use his breath to shout back. But he knew what he was doing. He was ending this. He closed the remaining distance and grabbed The Device. </p><p>His world inverted. He was nothing and everything, nowhere and everywhere, no one and everyone. His knowledge was as deep and vast as the Universe itself, stretching to the past and the future farther than he could count. But all he cared about was now… wherever that was.</p><p>He snapped back to his body in an instant. Something crossed his mind—like his own monologue, but not his own voice, nor the way a memory acted. It was strange, but he didn’t dwell on it.</p><p>
  <span class="u">What is your use for The Device?</span>
</p><p>“I wish to destroy it,” Havve said. “Self-destruct, explode into a million irreparable pieces. The Device cannot exist anymore.”</p><p>
  <span class="u">The Device cannot be destroyed.</span>
</p><p>“Are you an all-powerful wish-granting gadget, or are you a useless piece of shit?” Havve snarled. “I wish to destroy The Device!”</p><p>He watched it happen in slow motion: The Device flickered in his hand, growing infinitely hotter, before exploding. His body flew away faster than he could comprehend, thrown into the air like a rag doll. He slammed into a stone wall hard enough that it cracked. </p><p>As he watched the ground race toward him, he realized he fucked up.</p><p>By the time he actually hit the ground, he was dead.</p>
<hr/><p>Too much was happening. One minute, Sung was fighting off Haters (and looking like a total badass while doing so). The next, Phobos was screaming and falling to the ground; then he was racing to his side, desperate to protect his friend; then he saw Havve running to The Device; then it pulsed and exploded, momentarily blinding everyone in its vicinity. He blinked rapidly, clumsily trying to stand up.  </p><p>“What the fuck happened?!” Meouch shouted, but he sounded far away. </p><p>Sung was overwhelmed by the sensations that came from the blast. It felt like he was falling through quicksand, nothing made sense to him anymore. </p><p>Someone grabbed his hand, and he returned to his body with a shuddering gasp. “Sung!” Phobos yelled, staring up at him, holding onto Sung’s hand for dear life. </p><p>
  <em>(he’s swaying on his feet, pale, clammy,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>the Haters are swarming, gods they’re everywhere,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>he can’t see Havve, Meouch is struggling to fend them off,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>fire is burning in Phobos’s side, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>and Sung, he has to do something,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>do something,</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>DO SOMETHING—)</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>He squeezed Phobos’s hand before wrenching himself free from his grasp. He couldn’t feel his legs, his vision was blurry, and everything hurt, but none of that mattered. He vaulted up and tore his gloves off as he sprinted the last few feet to The Device.</p><p>Sung’s world inverted. He was nothing and everything, nowhere and everywhere, no one and everyone. His knowledge was as deep and vast as the Universe itself, he knew more than he could ever hope to learn… </p><p>He shook his head, and focused on the feeling of The Device in his hands.</p><p>
  <span class="u">You’re a strange one, aren’t you?</span>
</p><p>“I’d love to chat, but I’m on a time limit.”</p><p>
  <span class="u">No, you’re not. This is happening inside your mind, at the speed of thought. All of this will be over in a fraction of a second, even if you spent hours here.</span>
</p><p>“...Huh,” he said, because he had no idea how the fuck to respond to that. “You’re alive? Or at least, have a consciousness?”</p><p>
  <span class="u">Not exactly. This is the simplest way your brain can process what is happening right now. “I” don’t exist. This is just an interface for the purposes of communication. “I” will cease to exist when you let go of The Device, just as “I” was created the moment you touched it.</span>
</p><p>“Interesting.”</p><p>
  <span class="u">But you already know all this, don’t you?</span>
</p><p>“It’s not that simple,” Sung said. “Just because I receive all of the information at once, doesn’t mean I can understand it all at once. I have to dissect and make sense of it on my own time.”</p><p>
  <span class="u">Interesting.</span>
</p><p>He cracked a grin. “But you already know all this, don’t you?”</p><p>A strange sound passed through his mind, not unpleasant but definitely foreign. It took him a moment to realize it was laughter.</p><p>“What happened to Havve?” he asked when the sound stopped.</p><p>
  <span class="u">Your friend wished for The Device’s destruction. That’s not allowed. Speaking of wishes! You have one to make, don’t you?</span>
</p><p>“Yeah, but… <em>gods,</em> I don’t even know what to <em>do.</em>” He stared at The Device in his hand, then looked out of his body—which was baffling and nauseating and <em>super fucking cool</em> all at the same time—and examined the battlefield. More Haters were approaching. Havve was MIA and Phobos was injured, which left Sung and Meouch. Those weren’t good odds. He didn’t know exactly what Phobos wanted to wish for, and he didn’t want to take that opportunity away from him. Phobos should be the one to save his planet, not Sung.</p><p>He thought back to what The Device said earlier, about time. He had already spent a few minutes talking to it, but when he let go, barely any time at all would have passed.</p><p>“Time… I need time.” He looked to The Device. “Can I wish for power over time? I could freeze the Haters, we could find Havve, heal Phobos…”</p><p>
  <span class="u">You wish for the power to manipulate time at your will?</span>
</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>
  <span class="u">And what will you lose to gain this power?</span>
</p><p>Sung blinked. “What?”</p><p>
  <span class="u">When one wishes for something so powerful, such as Time, they must give something up in return, in order to maintain balance.</span>
</p><p>Gods... what did Sung have? Could he sacrifice a few of his degrees, the ones he never fucking used? He doubted money meant anything to an all-knowing, all-powerful, not even technically sentient reality bender such as The Device. He didn’t have anything super cool that he would run back into a burning house for. </p><p>Fuck.</p><p>...Power. The Device had called it a power: the <em>power</em> to manipulate time, what would he lose to <em>gain</em> that power, a wish for something <em>powerful.</em></p><p>“I offer my psychometry,” he whispered breathlessly. “Seems like a fair trade. A power for a power.”</p><p>The Device hummed with energy, so strong he could feel it between the atoms of his very being. It flashed impossibly bright, and he cried out, unable to shield his eyes in time.</p><p>
  <span class="u">It is done.</span>
</p><p>“W-Wait!” he called. “How do I use it? Is there a crash course, a manual, <em>something?”</em></p><p>
  <span class="u">Use it in the way that makes sense to you.</span>
</p><p>“What the fuck does that even <em>mean?”</em> he yelled, his voice cracking.</p><p>
  <span class="u">You’ll figure it out.</span>
</p><p>He stumbled away from the pedestal, gasping as he returned to reality. His head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, his blood felt like it was on fire, burning him up from the inside. He summoned the last of his strength, planted his feet, and turned to the advancing Haters. </p><p><em>“STOP!”</em> he screamed, louder than he had ever screamed before. “JUST <em>STOP!!!”</em></p><p>Silence fell, and he stared at the Haters, frozen in time. Sacred stars…</p><p>“Sung?” Meouch called. “Wh…  what just happened?” He looked around, bewildered, unable to make sense of what he was seeing. “Did you just…?”</p><p>Sung could feel himself slipping away from reality. “We need to leave. Now. Where’s Havve?”</p><p>“I dunno,” Meouch said. “A-Are the Haters—?”</p><p>“Yes,” Sung said, sitting down rather abruptly. “I-I’m sorry, I need… I need a minute.”</p><p>Meouch nodded. “I’ll go look for Havve.”</p><p>Sung closed his eyes and counted his breaths. He was so nauseous, but the last thing he or anyone else needed was for him to vomit.</p><p>“Sung?” </p><p>He opened his eyes when Phobos called to him. He was standing, holding onto a short wall for support. “Sung, are you okay?”</p><p>He opened his mouth to answer, and realized he didn’t have one. He made a quiet <em>I-don’t-know</em> noise.</p><p>“I found him!” Meouch called. “He’s fucked up! I’ve got him, now let’s get out of here!”</p><p>Sung pushed himself to his feet, and looked at The Device. He couldn’t leave it there. He pulled on a spare glove, and said, “Look, I’m just… I’m not trying to wish for anything, okay? I’m just trying to… fuckin’ keep you safe.” Thankfully, it didn’t do any otherworldly bullshit, and he secured it in his bag before stumbling over to Phobos.</p><p>They carefully supported each other as best as they could, and slowly dragged themselves over to Meouch, who was carrying Havve. He took one look at the two of them and said, “Yeah, fuck this. You two stay here, make sure these assholes don’t thaw on us, I’ll go get the ship and bring it over.”</p><p>“Take mine,” Sung said. </p><p>“Um, no, I’m flying my own ship. I’ll come get you, we’ll go back and I’ll tow your ship to mine, and we’re out of here. Capiche?”</p><p>Too tired to do anything else, Sung nodded and sat down, Phobos following after him. They watched Meouch’s form get smaller and smaller until they couldn’t see him anymore. </p><p>“What the fuck even happened?” Phobos asked after a while.</p><p>Sung just shook his head with a sigh. “I’ll explain it all later, I promise.”</p><p>He nodded. “Okay.”</p><p>Eventually, they heard the hum of a ship approaching, and a vessel that definitely did not belong to Boredom landed nearby. Meouch helped them all into the ship and down to the medbay. Sung barely even noticed as Meouch’s ship attached itself to Sung’s, and took off. He was moving on instinct, half-asleep as he cleaned Phobos’s wound. </p><p>Finally, he looked to Phobos and said, “Is this good enough for a little while?”</p><p>“Yes. Go get some sleep.”</p><p>“Gladly.” Sung collapsed face-first into a recovery bed, and was asleep before he realized he forgot to take off his helmet.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, fuck. That didn't go according to plan at ALL. Guess it's time to pick up the pieces and regroup.</p><p>Comments make my day, if you feel so inclined :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>